At 7:30 a.m., protestors congregate outside Chick-Fil-A on the I-65 setting up their area with bright, bold lettered blue and yellow posters. Like clockwork, this group has gathered every morning for the past several weeks, visible to all ongoing traffic of people heading to their jobs, schools and activities. What are they protesting? Proposition 50. Demonstrations like these have been visible all around Rocklin for the past two months. People have purchased yard signs, attended local rallies and expressed their opinions on social media all in an effort to have their voice heard by their community.
Prop. 50, or the Election Rigging Response Act was proposed Aug. 21. by the California state legislature in response to mid-cycle partisan redistricting in Texas. The recent gerrymandering in Texas has been done in favor of the Republican Party, drawing lines to add five additional Republican-leaning districts in the state, which would add five more Republican representatives to congress. To counter, California has introduced the Prop. 50 special election, which, if passed, redistricts to favor Democrats and add five Democratic seats to Congress. Essentially, voting “yes” on Prop. 50 means agreeing to let California redistrict to account for lost democratic seats in the House of Representatives, and voting “no” on Prop. 50 means keeping the current congressional map until scheduled redistricting in 2031.
Generally, young voters have accounted for a small population in voter participation, but the upcoming Prop. 50 election Nov. 4. will be the first election many high school seniors can take part in.
“I’m for the proposition. I think that it’ll help balance out what Texas is doing with putting more Republican representatives,” Isabella Lafavour said.
Amaka Nkadi shared a similar viewpoint about balancing partisan power in Congress.
“I think, if you’re able to vote, if you’re above 18 or 18, you should use your voice, because it’s important. I would vote yes on prop. 50 because it’s important to combat what’s happening in Texas,” Nkadi said.
Other community members disagree, however.
“Every 10 years there’s a census, and this was voted on and decided that it would be an independent counsel, independent body that drew the lines, the congressional lines, that determined how many seats there were. Well, this year, Gavin Newsom decided that’s not how we’re going to do it,” parent Gene Moorehouse said. “I’m totally against Prop 50. [Gavin Newsom] likes to say ‘Texas did it.’ Well, it was in their constitution for them to be able to change and redraw the lines. So Newsom is trying to offset what Texas did by getting more democratic seats in Congress by redrawing the district lines. It shouldn’t be unconstitutional. He’s kind of a dictator. He’s a king, not Trump.”
To Republicans like Moorehouse, Prop. 50 makes them feel like their voice in government is being suppressed.
Moorehouse said, “With this redrawing of the lines, we’re going to lose four seats, essentially. So my vote in California doesn’t matter in a statewide or national election.”
In regards to the student body, 61% of students who answered an online poll reported that they were in support of Prop. 50. Of those who responded, 24% opposed it and 16% reported that they were unsure.
The statistic reflects that students are participating in political conversation, but there is a gap between these numbers and active political participation. Usually, youth voter turnout is particularly low throughout the country, and in the 2024 presidential election, only 47% of youth voters participated.
“Historically, young people have not voted in this country,” AP Government and Politics teacher Mr. Timothy Farnan said. “In recent elections, they’ve become more active. If young people want politicians to start to pay attention to them and what they want, they’re going to have to start voting like the seniors. Most of the politicians really focus on what older people want, but that’s because they vote.”
For students like Nkadi, being overlooked by politicians will not be the case, and using her vote to share her voice is something both very important and powerful.
“When I was around 15, I started getting more into politics. I’m always seeing these opinions, but I’m never able to have an actual effect on it. But turning 18 soon and being able to vote is very exciting … We just had a [school] presentation with the Place County Elections office and they were helping us to pre-register, so I’ll probably do it tonight, honestly,” Nkadi said.
While students like Nkadi have begun to form their own personal opinions on issues like Prop. 50, many students have yet to take that step.
Farnan said, “Most of [high school students’] political opinions are aligned with family members or their friends. But then, as they move out on their own and they get new friends and a new job and a new career, they’re going to start to shift. Sooner or later … students should start to try to form their opinions and figure out what’s important to them, because really, when people go into the voting booth or mail in their ballot, they’re voting selfishly. And that’s good. But if you want to vote selfishly in your own interest, you need to know what is in your own interest.”
by DAVID HAWLEY, HANNAH KLATT & ZOEY RIGDON
